ReutersThe fire brigade in Lilienthal, near Bremen
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 01:01
In the German town of Meppen, just across the border from Drenthe, a nursing home has been evacuated due to the high water level. German media report that the building is located directly on the Eems and that 47 residents have been accommodated elsewhere. 30 of the seniors living in the nursing home have been taken care of in the hospital in Meppen and seventeen others are now staying in a nursing home nearby.
Just like in the Netherlands, people in the German state of Lower Saxony are looking at the water levels of the past few days with some tension. In the three cities of Meppen, Lilienthal and Verden, the situation is monitored by the public broadcaster NDR described as “particularly critical”. More rain is expected in the coming hours, which means that the danger has not passed overnight.
“Never before have we seen floods of this magnitude here,” Lower Saxony Prime Minister Weil said during the day yesterday. He called the situation frightening and said that about 100,000 people were working to combat flooding. Although the highest water level now appears to have been reached, the problems may persist until the turn of the year.
Flood tourists
“Experts have been warning for some time that the increasingly common extreme weather events are linked to climate change,” said Prime Minister Weil. He therefore called for a rapid reduction in CO2 emissions.
The German police and the Drenthe Safety Region ask Dutch people from the border region to stay away from the affected areas and to respect road closures. “For your own safety, but also so that emergency responders can get where they are needed,” the Drenthe Safety Region writes on X.
Yesterday it was announced earlier in the day that the emergency services are experiencing problems with “flood tourists” who hinder the work of rescue workers. People are also said to have stolen sandbags to protect their homes. In addition, there have been reports of hang gliders and private drones disrupting fire brigade drone operations.
2023-12-29 00:01:04
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